The Sept. 28 article about UNL’s proposed elimination of programs for budgetary reasons includes a student’s lament about the elimination of the graduate program in Community and Regional Planning. As a part-time faculty member in 1971-73 I taught the first CRP courses, after I had assisted Acting Dean Roger Massey by proposing its course offerings and writing the justification for it to be fully recognized by the national accrediting organization. While some of its graduates work in urban areas, by its title and courses, it was directly oriented at producing graduates to work in non-metropolitan and rural areas like Nebraska and the northern Great Plains.

One should question the use of UNL’s course credit hour metrics for a professional graduate degree program that does not follow a similar bachelor’s program. More importantly, it seems to me that any institution worthy of its founding as a land-grant university, like UNL, worthy of its legacy, should be most reluctant to ax a professional graduate program like the CRP program, which is specifically geared to help our communities become more attractive and economically vibrant. The same might be said of the Landscape Architecture program. The surveys show its graduates largely remain and work in our state.

The recent university focus on AAU membership and “metrics” is bad for Nebraska. When I was a senior executive with Cooperative Extension at the USDA in D.C. we joked that “people have problems while universities obsess about their departments.” In football the bottom line metric is — did we win the game? In education we must clearly define “winning the game.” We can create a resilient future with and for Nebraskans. Step up, Legislature, you are lagging behind. Retired UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman had it right. He said, forget a tiny D.C. lobbying group called AAU. We must safeguard our flagship, our land-grant University of Nebraska. It won’t happen with a meaningless plan but with meaningful engagement with smart people of the state.

I suggest we cut from the top and reduce duplicative administration. The world has changed in most places as broadband reaches everyone.(we’re lagging in rural Nebraska). Let’s show our Go Big Red colors with a real educational effort. Our highly successful alums know the true meaning of the University of Nebraska and must lead the way.

Janet Wirth Poley, Lincoln

What would it hurt to start a draft of the out of work and down and out into the service of helping the Earth?

Why not pull the left behinds off their couches and away from their techno fantasies?

When will we tap into their empty hands and lost potential and put it to work rebuilding Nebraska’s wilderness areas?

Could we put the adult gamers to work building hiking trails and eco-tourism camps?

Can we trade their video game controllers for tents, hiking, sticks, tents, shovels, spades, picks, camaraderie and quiet nights with friends poking a campfire, swapping stories, and glancing at the starry constellations?

What could they build there?

What would Franklin Roosevelt think if Nebraska exhumed the Civilian Conservation Corps and reignited the great American spirit through sweat, hard work, and wilderness experiences for the laid-off and downtrodden in the state’s great Panhandle?

What else are they doing with their time?

Why not send them back to nature?

When is it a good time to get the lost back to nature?

How will they feel after a hard days work with dirt on their hands from working the clay?

What can they build? A dam? A park? A hiking trail? A castle?

When will we admit technology was never for everyone?

When will we accept technology is bad for many?

What a governor, Legislature and congressman! We, as Nebraska citizens, are so blessed to have elected officials who understand the remorse of voters who voted against school choice scholarships in the November election. What a wonderful crystal ball they must have, what clairvoyance, to see inside people’s minds that they really want to help selective church denominations finance their parochial school operations with public money.

So a decision was made to opt into a federal school choice scholarship program similar to the one voted down by 57% of Nebraskans in the November election. Gov. Pillen even stated: “Let me make it clear, I am not opting this in, I am cannonballing it in” as he stood by students from a local Catholic school.

And I might add, what a superlative endorsement for the lowly public, “government” schools was made by the governor and his buddies with statements like, “This is gigantic for education,” and, “Every student deserves the opportunity to learn in a school environment that meets their needs.”

Yeah, as if the parochial schools are a huge opportunity to escape the mediocrity of public school education. And gosh, isn’t it reassuring to those parents whose Plain Jane and John have no options but to attend trashy government schools that cannot meet their needs? Sure, let’s start a government handout to shore up the church schools and while we are at it, why not divide the country even more and even separate the wheat from the chaff.

Get real, Republican autocrats, listen to the people — you don’t have all the answers.

The University of Nebraska’s decision to phase out its programs in geology and atmospheric science is not just an academic shift. It is a dangerous mistake that puts Nebraskans at risk.

Nebraska is defined by its land and its skies. Tornadoes, floods, blizzards, droughts, groundwater depletion. These are not occasional inconveniences; they are recurring threats. Safety, economy and the future of the people of Nebraska depend on individuals trained to understand and manage these hazards. By eliminating geology and atmospheric science, the university is erasing the very disciplines most directly tied to Nebraska’s well-being.

Graduates from these programs don’t disappear into ivory towers. They become hydrologists monitoring the High Plains Aquifer, atmospheric scientists working in National Weather Service offices and hazard experts protecting our communities when storms strike. Without these programs, Nebraska will lose its pipeline of homegrown expertise. The people of Nebraska will be forced to rely on outsiders to study, predict and respond to disasters that shape their lives.

Cutting these fields may balance a ledger, but it weakens resilience. One major flood year costs billions. One missed tornado warning costs lives. The modest expense of maintaining these programs pales beside the devastation their absence could bring.

Nebraskans must not stay silent. Alumni, students, citizens and elected officials should demand the university reverse this reckless course. Atmospheric science and geology are not luxuries. They are necessities in a state where the ground and sky themselves can turn deadly. To abandon them is to abandon Nebraska.

John Giardino, UNL alum, Bryan, Texas 

Given the number of ads I’ve seen on TV lately, Sen. Pete Ricketts is spending a good chunk of his considerable wealth on a PR campaign designed to improve his image during an off-election year. He’s also spinning the wildly unpopular provisions in the Big Beautiful Bill.

First, he says he and President Trump have “eliminated the tax on Social Security.” Fact: The new law provides only a temporary senior bonus set to expire in 2027. Only those over 65 with an adjusted income between $75,000 and $150,000 will qualify. Everybody else will continue to pay tax on Social Security. Ricketts also pretends to care about the working class by touting “no tax on tips.” Again, this is another temporary tax break on “qualified tips” with a $25,000 income cap. Finally, Ricketts says he’s “bringing $50 billion to rural health care in Nebraska.” This is extremely misleading. The $50 billion figure he cites is for the entire country. Nebraska will only receive about $100 million a year for the next five years. Huge cuts to Medicaid will far outweigh the new grant money. Rural Nebraska will actually face a net LOSS in health care funding as a result of Pete Ricketts’ vote. So let’s call a spade a spade. That one big, beautiful bill Ricketts touts on TV? It’s really just One Big Bamboozle.

Barbara Pederson, Lincoln

This shutdown isn’t business as usual. Republicans, led by Trump, offered a continuing resolution that would have kept existing funding levels the same. But if Democrats had accepted that deal, they would have effectively given approval to all of the terrible and wildly unpopular policies that Trump has pushed through since retaking office.

That agenda includes deep cuts to public broadcasting and foreign aid, and worst of all, Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill.” That bill gave the wealthiest Americans a massive tax break, paid for by slashing Medicaid, Medicare, food assistance, clean energy programs and Affordable Care Act subsidies. It squeaked through the Senate in July on a party-line vote using the reconciliation process.

Now Republicans want Democrats to help extend those same cuts through their Continuing Resolution. The truth is, they don’t need Democratic votes at all. With 51 senators, Republicans could invoke the nuclear option, something they’ve already done three times this year. They refuse to do it now because they want Democrats to share the blame for the pain their policies cause.

To deflect the blame, they lie about “trillions going to the health care of illegal immigrants.” That lie is the new “they’re eating the cats and dogs.” Not true now and not true then.

This GOP shutdown is about one thing: Republicans demanding cover for Trump’s cruel policies. Tell your representatives to stand firm with Democrats and fight for the programs American families depend on.

So far, in Trump’s second term, he has threatened to take over Canada, Greenland, Mexico and Panama. He has threatened other countries with exorbitant tariffs. He has threatened universities, newspapers, television networks, federal employees, state and federal representatives, judges, prosecutors, law firms, legal immigrants and individual states. Trump had previously pledged to eliminate the alleged “weaponization” of government. On the contrary, Trump, himself, is weaponizing the DOJ, FBI, ICE, et al, to go after all those he deems as opposition.

In Trump’s inaugural address, he stated that he would “immediately sign an executive order eliminating all government censorship, and bring back freedom of speech to America. Never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents.” And yet, he has instructed the FCC head, Brendan Carr, to threaten the license revocation of ABC, because Jimmy Kimmel was exercising his freedom of speech. Ironically, no such FCC threat was made when a Fox anchor stated that homeless people should receive “involuntary lethal injections” (murder).

In 2023, a unanimous SCOTUS 9-0 decision (NRA vs. Vullo) ruled that, “Government officials cannot attempt to coerce private parties in order to punish or suppress views that the government disfavors.”

Trump is also threatening senior citizens of America. Trump previously proclaimed that “cuts to Medicare and Social Security were off the table”. And yet, the Congressional bill HR-1, which he pushed for, cuts nearly $800 billion from those funds. Interestingly, these cuts won’t kick in until after the 2026 midterm elections.

All these unconstitutional threats are part of Trump’s attempt at “blanket intimidation,” to silence the dissent of the American people. Ironically, the biggest threat to Trump is the release of the Epstein files, which, he said he would release if he became president. Now, he is covering it up.

What has happened to freedom of speech in this country? Charlie Kirk said of Martin Luther King Jr. “MLK was awful. He’s not a good person.” But if someone says the same thing about Charlie Kirk, they are fired. That has been happening in school systems, airlines, retail organizations, newspapers, etc. How can this MAGA mentality be allowed to silence non-MAGA citizens of this country?

Charlie Kirk said many things appalling to me. I have a right to publicly object to them. Martin Luther King Jr. is an assassinated civil rights hero. Charlie Kirk is an assassinated MAGA hero. Why could he speak negatively about MLK when no one can speak negatively about him? I read that he said, “I think it is worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so we can have the 2nd Amendment to protect our God-given rights.” The 2nd Amendment is in the Constitution, not the Bible or Quran, so it is not God-given. But what a callous statement to make in light of the school children, people in malls, celebrators at festivals and all the places citizens have been gunned down.

I am not talking about “some gun deaths” but some 16,000-plus non-suicide gun deaths in 2024. We must keep speaking our minds and not be silenced by the speech police of the Trump and MAGA world.

Along with how blatant and shocking the allegations are against former Liquor Control Commissioner Hobie Rupe, I’d like to know how this went unnoticed for so long and why it took the FBI and not the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office to indict Rube.

A former assistant AG, Rupe apparently used his connections with that office to try to go after competing strip clubs in Omaha on behalf of his favorite clubs in Lincoln, where he allegedly traded his power over their licenses for free booze and sex.

So I don’t know why Attorney General Mike Hilgers was at the FBI’s press conference in Omaha, since he did nothing to stop Rupe. Took the feds to bust Rupe.

All in all, a big black eye for government officials in Lincoln and the state.

As a lifelong rancher and president of Nebraska Cattlemen, I’ve watched our beef cattle community weather countless storms, from droughts and floods to market swings and rising costs.

Agriculture has a unique set of challenges, and we need the security the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) provides. Recent reporting has focused on its potential impact on Nebraska’s state budget and missed the bigger picture: This legislation delivers transformative tax relief to everyday Nebraskans, especially those of us in the beef cattle industry.

OBBB’s permanent extension of the federal estate tax exemption is a lifeline for family-owned operations. The “death tax” forces many producers to sell family land, cattle and equipment just to settle astronomical tax bills after a loved one’s passing. By extending (and doubling) the exemption, this bill reduces the number of farm and ranch families threatened by this tax.

The bill also expands deductions and credits for agricultural businesses. Making the Section 199A small business deduction permanent at 20% allows small farms to invest more money in growing operations instead of paying higher taxes. Additionally, raising the Section 179 standard deduction and making 100% bonus depreciation permanent free up funds for things like herd health and sustainable grazing.

Critics can focus on a possible revenue dip, but they overlook the broader economic boost from letting families, ranches, and businesses keep more of their hard-earned money.

Just look at ag. Nebraska agriculture generates over $30 billion annually, powering economies from Ogallala to Omaha. And when ag grows, so do other sectors like manufacturing and transportation — growth that will more than offset initial impacts to the state budget.

Nebraska’s federal delegation deserves applause for championing the OBBB. Their leadership delivers real wins for everyday Nebraskans and shows a commitment to Nebraska’s producers as the backbone of our state’s economy.

Dick Pierce, Nebraska Cattlemen President, Miller

Several years ago, part of my family moved to Wisconsin — but they never stopped considering themselves Nebraskans.

They returned regularly for Husker football games (they held season tickets), Thanksgiving, Christmas and other family events. In 2023, they moved back to Nebraska permanently.

In 2020, the youngest member of our family moved to Lincoln to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, paying out-of-state tuition — nearly double the in-state rate. She stayed in Nebraska year-round, graduated in May 2024, and was verbally told that after living here for one year, she would qualify for in-state tuition.

She did everything right: got a job, signed a lease, obtained a Nebraska driver’s license, registered to vote, began volunteering at the state prison, and truly put down roots.

In August — well over a year after graduation — she was accepted into graduate school at UNL. Yet she was still classified as an out-of-state student and required to pay out-of-state tuition. She appealed the decision and was told no.

When I asked if she would continue her graduate studies, she said:

“Yes — anywhere but Nebraska.”

So to Dean Dee Dee Anderson, President Jeffery Gold, Governor Jim Pillen, and Nebraska’s legislators:

The next time you ask, “Why are college-educated individuals leaving Nebraska?”

Look in the mirror. You’ve met the reason.

If Nebraska wants to retain its best and brightest, it must stop punishing those who choose to stay. Otherwise, the message is clear: leave, and don’t look back.

Michael McLaughlin, Omaha

George Floyd had seven felony convictions and was arrested for passing a counterfeit $20 bill. During that arrest, an officer was convicted of Floyd’s murder.

Democrat/progressive reactions to Floyd’s death were violent insurrections with destruction of property and injury and killing of citizens and police!

Mainstream talking heads stood in front of violence and burning buildings and lied about what a peaceful protest this insurrection was. Even the viewers of CNN could see that the insurrection wasn’t a peaceful protest!

Sen. Kamala Harris raised money to bail violent insurrectionists out of the Minneapolis jail. In June, Harris was on late-night TV telling insurrectionists to continue their insurrections. Telling us we should support their insurrectionist actions. Harris was promoting insurrectionist actions!

Contrast that with the assassination of Charlie Kirk! Conservatives waited for the police to investigate and then arrest the killer. As Charlie would have wanted to be remembered, he is remembered with peaceful prayer and singing vigils. Not citizens in the streets violently rioting! Conservatives were peacefully and respectfully remembering Charlie and relying on the government for justice for the murder of Charlie.

The killer used a gun to murder because he didn’t agree with the words of Charlie Kirk. The 1st Amendment guarantees freedom of speech and religion! Charlie’s 1st Amendment rights were violated and his life was ended; because Charlie applied his 1st Amendment right to speak to our youth and his words offended his killer!

Murder was the killer’s only solution to stop Charlie’s 1st Amendment rights!

The Trump administration is at it again. In the Sept. 19 edition of the Lincoln Journal Star, President Trump’s Department of Justice sent a letter to Nebraska’s Secretary of State requesting complete voter information files of all Nebraska voters. The first Trump administration attempted this during his first term in 2017. That attempt was not successful.

However, the second Trump administration’s Department of Justice is requesting more than public information to include date of birth, driver’s license numbers, last four digits of Social Security numbers and more. Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen verified and assured Nebraskans that our elections have been fair with the absence of fraud. So why does Trump want this information? What is known is this hyperpartisan administration has used “Stop the Steal” allegations as an excuse to alter election practices in many states to enhance Republican chances of winning. No evidence supports “Stop the Steal.” Partisan gerrymandering continues as I write this.

Our Department of Justice has been politically hijacked to enforce this data grab. We also know the Trump administration cannot be trusted to keep confidential information secure. Witness Elon Musk’s Doge downloading our confidential Social Security and Medicare files. Elon Musk is gone but we have no idea where that information resides. We can only conclude our personal information is unsafe and we are at risk. I have emailed my state representatives and contacted the Secretary of State’s office stating opposition to releasing this data.